Summer Festival Guide

By now all of the biggest summer festivals have released their lineups; with performances by Little Big Town, Toby Keith, Aaron Pritchett, Willie Nelson and many, many more it’s sure to draw another HUGE crowd willing and ready to camp through four days of festival mayhem! And with four days of social media worthy snaps and limited access to washroom facilities, a few ‘alterations’ to our regular maintenance routine are most certainly in order! Along with my festival prep tips I have your guide to festival season that will put you in the centre of the action. It’ll almost be like to summer is revolving around you!

The best way to make sure you spend your time frolicking with friends, and enjoying the bands and DJs, is to be prepared. Here are a few tips to keep you healthy and ready for a full weekend of fun!

1. First and foremost – Hydrate. Between the sun, a few too many beverages and lack of sleep, dehydration can take over. If you’re camping, be sure to pack a few electrolyte boosting drinks like PC® Tropical Punch Electrolyte Beverage with Coconut Water. And there’s a new detox water with a full shot of pure aloe juice thanks to ACTIValoe® technology. Definitely throw some of those in your bag.

2. It’s likely that the last thing you’ll want the morning of a festival is a hot coffee. Get the same boost (that’s also easily portable) with pre-made cold-brew! You can get them at many local coffee shops, and now at Real Canadian Superstore! Helpful hint: try mixing the PC® Cold Brew Single Origin Black Coffee with some ice, Kahlua and almond milk for the perfect morning treat!

3. Plan ahead with your food choices, especially if you have any restrictions. If you know that your favourite food trucks are there, skip out on packing lunch and dinner items and focus on breakfasts, snacks or drinks!

4. Pack snacks! Be sure to pack healthy snacks like nuts, fruit and homemade granola that can keep without needing a refrigerator or coveted cooler space!

5. There’s a kit from Saje that literally has everything you need to stay social media ready without any water. Whether you’re in between performances and need an uplifting boost of Arrive Revived or want to skip the bathroom line with a drop of Safe Hands this kit will have you concert ready, naturally. Exercise your freedom to dance the day and evening away listening to your favourite artists with a wellness companion on the go.

6. Festivals don’t start the day the music does. Pre-prep your glow to be ready for all the Insta stories! To minimize worry about streaks, go with something that builds like Jergens® Natural Glow®.

7. Keep you make-up simple. The less you already have on your face, the less you have to worry about touch-ups throughout the day!

8. Between bands or DJ’s, lineups for food, and trying to find your friends in a crowd, skincare comes in last-place for importance. With a buildup of dirt, dance-sweat and probably a few spilled drinks, reaching for a quick face-mask like the Biore® Self-heating One-Minute Mask helps to keep your skin looking fresh, even when you aren’t!

9. Pick a hairstyle that’s easy to transition day-to-day, and definitely make use of accessories for those full-weekend festivals! Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make a gorgeous flower crown from the experts at Wanderlust: click here.

10. With the summer sun already doing a number on your locks, stick with products that will help repair damage, like the John Frieda® Frizz Ease® Miraculous Recovery® line. The Miraculous Recovery® Deep Conditioner is also a great post-festival treatment to get those tresses back in shape!

11. If you want to give your face a good wash, my go to natural skincare La Biosthetique has a travel cleanser, toner and moisturizer that is great for everyone and fits nicely in your purse.

13. You also want to look like you’ve been to Coachella and know whats up while you’re rocking out and brands like Gentle Fawn, Lovers and Friends and Free People will help you stay trendy and stylish.

14. You can also stay a step ahead of the crowds in vibrant sandals and embellished summer boots to match from A.S.98.

How about a weekend of non-stop country music? The sixth annual Watershed Music and Camping Festival is back, which is one of the most picturesque, held at Gorge Ampitheatre July 28-30th. Headliners performing above the Columbia River include Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Darius Rucker and many more.

Rockin’ River features a variety of notable Canadian country artists including Aaron Pritchett and Washboard Union, Toby Keith, Crystal Shawanda and the Band Perry. You can chill out in the daytime alongside the nearby creek, then grab your daisy dukes and cowboy boots to two-step the night away.

Canada Day festivities for the whole family will be offered at Willoughby Community Park on July 1, where the atmosphere will be a little bit country, a little bit barbecue.

The Township of Langley, Langley Events Centre and 93.7 JRfm, are once again partnering to offer the Langley Canada Day JRBQ, along with title sponsor C & D Logistics. The celebration runs from 11am to 6pm on Saturday, July 1, with free admission, free parking, a spray park, food trucks, and a barbecue with proceeds going to Basics for Babies. A Kids’ Zone will keep little ones busy with face painting, mini golf, Pacific Trackless Trains, games, activities and inflatables, and a Canada Day ceremony will take place at 2pm.

Country music performers will take to the main stage to provide live entertainment throughout the day. The newly built Willoughby Amphitheatre will also be in full swing, featuring children’s entertainers, including the Springman Family Band, Dianna David, Norden the Magician, Circus Lab, and the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

These country acts are more on the deeper roots side, nonetheless Kathleen Edwards and Tift Merritt hold their own. And what’s more authentically country than the Native North America: A Gathering of Indigenous Trailblazers tour bringing some of the very best singer/songwriters from the 1960’s and 70’s together for one last show.

With Pemberton cancelled until further notice, finding a rock and hip-hop fix isn’t as easy as you think. You need to find just the right mix of music and sports and some extreme fun in the sweaty heart of Okanagan Wine Country might just be the perfect fit. This year’s COG has announced headliner Snoop Dogg, Schoolboy Q and many more that you can jam out and dance hard to.

It’s that time of the year again—Wanderlust, producers of the largest yoga lifestyle events in the world returns to Whistler, BC for an unforgettable, four-day retreat. Wanderlust gathers a unique combination of yoga, music, speakers and outdoor adventuretocreate the ultimate restorative getaway.

Image: Wanderlust

From August 3-6 yoga-loving communities from all over the region will be drawn to Whistler to unplug, reconnect and experience the extraordinary. A phenomenal lineup of some of the world’s most outstanding yoga teachers, musicians, meditation instructors and performing artists promise a transformative experience. Attendees can practice a smorgasbord of yoga styles (at all levels), outdoor activities such as hiking, nature runs, kayaking, paddle-boarding and mountain biking, and indulge in wine tastings and organic delicacies.

MUSIC– Get down with live performances, part of the Whistler Presents: Outdoor Concert Series featuring the soulful funk of Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, the innovative circus performance of Quixotic, the R&B/psychedelic stylings of Con Brio, the emotional world-pop of Elijah Ray, the expansive, hypnotic sounds of Khruangbin and many more.

NATURE – Outdoor enthusiasts of all ages will delight in the full range of adventurous activities from stand up paddle boarding, musical hikes and adventure runs, to outdoor meditations, kayaking and more. Our open “Uncommons” area will host an array of activities such as aerial yoga, acroyoga, hula hooping, slacklining and more.

MEDITATION–Unplug and get centered with meditation classes from renowned teachers such as Davidji, Amandeep Singh, Christine Baumgartner and more.

TALKS– Attendees will be inspired by the Speakeasy series, a lecture program featuring today’s thought leaders: Bulletproof CEO Dave Asprey will give a talk on diet and lifestyle changes that support a sharper, smarter, faster, more resilient brain; former President of Harpo Studios and final Executive Producer of The Oprah Winfrey ShowSheri Salata shows you how to reframe, redefine and reimagine all areas of your life without anxiety, guilt and self -judgment; Author of thebestselling book Conscious Uncoupling, Katherine Woodward Thomas helps youawaken your power to create happy, healthy, committed love—and more.

FOOD & WINE– The Farm to Table Dinner is a chef-crafted meal sourced from the freshest seasonal produce and locally farmed meats, which promises an incredible fine dining experience. At the Salt + Smoke BBQ, celebrate the best the South has to offer by dancing to live music, and savoring local BBQ (and veggie options) with all the fixings. Or, sample local and imported wine, beer, and libations, plus seasonal hors d’oeuvres at our Uncorked events, accompanied by live music, a bonfire and the setting sun.

Festival attendeeswill be nourished by a number of Wanderlust partners, including:

•adidas, who will host a one-of-a kind, immersive onsite activation to engage in attendee-led experiences, enabling them to embed more sport into their day and create their best selves at all US-based events. Apparel from the adidas x Wanderlust co-branded collection will be sold at each event.

•TY KU Sake, authentically brewed in Nara, Japan—the birthplace of sake—is 100% all natural and completely free of gluten, sulfites and tannins. It’s the perfect way to unwind without undoing the day’s practice. Come by for a special Sake 101 and sample four types of award winning sake.